Of Current Interest

Senate Bill 10 authorizes a change to California’s pretrial release system from a money-based system to a system based on risk to public safety and failure to return to court. This page includes a description of the law, answers to frequently asked questions, and an overview of the new pretrial process.

New: Referendum 1856 (18-0009), Referendum to Overturn a 2018 Law That Replaced Money Bail System with a System Based on Public Safety Risk, qualified for the November 2020 ballot, after being certified by the Secretary of State on January 16, 2019. Qualification of the referendum has the effect of staying SB 10. At this time, the Judicial Council of California has suspended implementation of the legislation, including adoption of California Rules of Court. If you have specific questions, please contact the council’s Criminal Justice Services office: crimjusticeoffice@jud.ca.gov

2019 State of the Judiciary

In her annual address to the Legislature on March 19, the Chief Justice said current challenges of income inequality, pretrial reform, and equal access require innovation and a human touch from a more representative judiciary.video - photos - transcript